I was recently having dinner with a great friend of mine. I love those great conversations with trusted friends that last for hours over everything you need to catch-up on; family, business, future plans etc. It was such a rich conversation about life. I believe we all need to have those great conversations with awesome people in our life that totally ‘get us’.
At one point during the evening, the conversation went to my friend asking me what I felt was the key of me having a good handle on my business and personal life? It definitely made me think! I mean, I am continuously learning and growing as everyone does, but I do feel that I am very much in my groove right now. One could say it is partially because of good luck. Others might say that it’s because of my confidence to really go for it in business and life. I agree with both of those things, definitely to a certain level. But of course that was not ‘it’. I took a few minutes to think about this question because I wanted to express how I really felt as to why things are feeling so good right now in my personal and professional life. It didn’t take me long to come-up with a confident answer.
I expressed to my friend that I truly do not give-in to certain things in my life. There are non-negotiable things. Of course life needs to be flexible on so many levels, but I have found not giving in to certain things has really put my life in great stride. So here are my 10 non-negotiables that I have which I recommend you consider having.
10 Things To Not Give-In On / The Non-Negotiables
- Self-Care – It all starts here my friends. If you do not take care of yourself, everything else starts to break down. Take time every day for yourself. You are worth it. You deserve it. Got it? Don’t give-up on this one. This needs to be #1 on your list.
- Integrity – I know you’ve heard the phrase, ‘if you don’t have integrity you don’t have anything’. Well let me tell you something. In my mind, integrity is real close to being in the top spot of things to never give in on. Integrity is trust. And trust is everything to me. How about you? Don’t ever give in on your integrity. It is a must in my book.
- Values – Just like integrity, your values are at the core of who you are. When making those tough decisions, go back to your values. They will never do you wrong.
- Respect – Never accept anyone putting you down as a person. And what I mean by that is taking someone disrespecting you as the truth. You deserve great success and happiness and should be respected. No one is perfect. But we do deserve to live a life full of what makes us happy in life.
- Happiness – Life is really too short and flies by way too fast to not go for it in life. You must always believe down to the core that you are worthy of great things in life. Never doubt that.
- Dreams and Goals – Without goals and dreams we lose hope and we cannot have that. Life is about growing and we must always keep feeling alive. Don’t ever believe it’s too late to go for what you want. You can do it!
- Gratitude – Always be humble and appreciate what you do have in life. Life can be really tough at times. But gratitude is like hope. You don’t want to give-up on this. We always have something to be thankful for.
- Spending Time With Loved Ones – I have learned this all too well that life is cut really short sometimes. I have had my share of loss in my life of really great people that were part of my life. Don’t wait to spend time with your loved ones. You don’t want to be too late. Cherish those great people in your life and spend all available moments with them.
- Courage – You are stronger than any challenge put in front of you. Whatever you are going through, know that it can and will get better. Keep fighting. Keep having courage. Be strong!
- Believing In Yourself – If you want others to believe in your goals and dreams, you must believe and never stop. You have awesome gifts to share with the world. So never let anything get in your way to believing in all the things you want out of life.
I would love to hear what your non-negotiable things are in life? Are they some of the above? Do you have different ones? Let your voice be heard. Post your comments. I can’t wait to hear from you!
Loved your post, Cynthia! We all need to know what is most important to us, which may be different for each of us.
I think it is a worthwhile journey to create our own manifesto and vision to reflect on every time we make a decision or come to a crossroad. Knowing what guides us as well as what is just not important is essential for our personal and professional success.
Thanks Cynthia for your wonderful insights! I will definitely share!
Terri
Terri, thank you so much for your comments on my blog! I totally agree with you when you say > “It’s worthwhile journey to create our own manifesto and vision to reflect on every time we make a decision or come to a crossroad. Knowing what guides us as well as what is just not important is essential for our personal and professional success.” Very well said. I appreciate you very much and look forward to connecting on a Google Hangout soon.
What are my non-negotiables? This is a great question, Cynthia. How can we make decisions and govern our daily lives without knowing what is, at our core, non-negotiable to keep us on the right track? I love your list, these are strong points that should be non-negotiable to all of us. I think we also need to ask ourselves what we want our legacy to be. Once we have an image of our desired legacy in mind, it will help guide our non-negotiable list.
Wonderful insights, Cynthia. Thank you for the food-for-thought.
Liz
Thank you so much Liz for your comments on my blog. I really appreciate your thoughts and I agree that we also should think about what we want our legacy to be. Excellent addition to this article. Thanks again for being such great support to me.
Good morning Cynthia! As usual, your blog hits a home run! Everyone of your ten “non-negotiable’s” are right on. The only other comment I will throw in is for people to maintain a healthy “balance” in their life as well. Have a great day!
Thank you so much Dale for the shout out about my blog. I am so glad you enjoyed it. I really like your add of the need for people to maintain a healthy balance in their life. I agree that it is very important. I appreciate all the wisdom you share. You are a true leader.
All are good here Cindy. #8 resonates with me more than any. Since my move from my hometown nearly 2 years ago for a job, I have come to appreciate family more. Specifically my parents. I see them more now than when I did before I left. Strange and sad, but true. We all have a tendancy to take things for granted at times. Intentionally or not. I did with my parents. No longer.
Great wisdom Geoff. Thank you so much for sharing. I really appreciate you. Thank you.
Cynthia, love this! I have non-negotiables in different areas. For life, I agree the 10 above are absolute. Integrity is a big one for me, I think it’s the one that jumps out at me. 🙂
Thank you so much for the shout out. I am so glad you enjoyed this article. I agree that integrity is a big one. Thanks again Dortha!
A fine list to live by, Cynthia! Well curated!
Thank you Blair for the comment. I really appreciate it! Your support is awesome!
I was going to choose a couple that really resonated with me but can’t. These are all non-negotiable. Something popped into my head yesterday and I posted it and to my surprise it struck a chord with several friends and I think it’s because it also has to do with these non-negotiables in your article. “Ignoring who you are to please others is ego. Living in alignment with your values is integrity.” In this the season of graduations we are reminded of how quickly life passes and how important relationships are. For that reason I choose numbers 2, 3, 7, 8 as my priorities, but you entire list is deeply meaningful.
Jane,
I just love this quote: “Ignoring who you are to please others is ego. Living in alignment with your values is integrity.” Wow!
Thank you so much for your comments Jane….. You are so right that life passes very quickly. Our relationships are so important…. Thanks again for all your great support and your shout out on this article.
I look forward to seeing your newsletter in my email in box! I always read them right away because I find your vision so valuable. Thank you!
You just made my day Deb. Thank you…… I appreciate your shout out very much! You inspire me every day!
Amazing post Cynthia! As I was reading down the list of non-negotiable, I found myself nodding in agreement at the entire list. I absolutely agree with self-care and its position at the top of the list. So, so important! In looking over the list, the thought occurred to me that each of the non-negotiables are different facets of practicing and exercising self-love. When we love ourselves, through beliefs and actions, we find a more supportive and loving world around us as well. Always inspired by your lovely posts!!
Such awesome thoughts Debbie! You are correct that having non-negotiables is an act of self-love. Very well put…. everything you say. Thanks for the fantastic wisdom. I appreciate you very much!
I love this post, Cynthia and I find all your points extremely valuable. The ones that really stick with me are #3-Values and #6-Dreams and Goals. If I focus on these, I find it makes it easier for me to engage in activities that keep me ON track instead of getting side-tracked. Big THANKS for these great reminders, Cynthia!
Hi Cynthia
A great set of commandments that should underpin every work and business life.
In a society where we see that “Common sense isn’t all that common anymore” the important personal stuff can be overlooked and these points are powerful enough to get anyone back on balance.
The invisible creates the visible!
Thanks
Dave
What a great post Cynthia and as always you express things clearly, passionately and with great insight! All of these points resonate with me! You’ve really created a brilliant manifesto for living a life of quality, connection and purpose! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!! 🙂
Hi Cynthia,
I love this post! I agree with every non-negotiable point you have mentioned. These are all my non-negotiable’s too. I try to instill these in my children as well. In a society that never seems to slow down, I find it extremely important that my kids are grateful and appreciative in life and I find it equally important for them to have respect for themselves and to believe in themselves. These are all excellent points that you have mentioned that can help people of all ages. Thanks for sharing great content!!
Hi Cynthia as always these 10 points are all salient and important and even if we do all of these as a matter of course it is sometimes nice to have them all reaffirmed.
Again your foresight is appreciated for which I thank you.
You are a true inspiration each and everyday!